Kitsumkalum are the people of the Robin, a tribe proper galts’ap (community) of the Tsimshian Nation living near the City of Terrace in northern British Columbia where the Skeena and Kitsumkalum Rivers meet. The Kitsumkalum land region combines both coastal and inland areas that cover 5,941,000 hectares. The coastal area begins at Portland Inlet in the north and extends southwards through Chatham sound, including important sites around Edye Pass and down Grenville and Principe Channels.

Our Galts’ap

We are a strong and proud galts’ap and are an integral part of the Tsimshian Nation with archaeological evidence placing property holdings (laxyuup/territories) in the Kitsumkalum Valley, along the Skeena River, Zymacord, and many special sites surrounding coastal and inland areas of the Northwest Coast prior to 1846 and as far back as 5,000 years BP. Kitsumkalum has always been intimately connected to its other Tsimshian tribes through marriages, adoptions, and the sharing of resources in their common grounds.

We come from a traditional and intricate society with complete ayaawx (Tsimshian Law) and rules governing our people, economic rights and relations with other First Nations.

Our origin stories place us in our traditional lands since time immemorial.

We have a sacred trust and responsibility to care for our traditional territory, and our connection to the land and coast is part of who we are as Tsimshian. Kitsumkalum has evolved into a modern-day society, even after colonization we continue to practice aboriginal rights and title to fish, harvest, gather and engage in cultural and spiritual activities. Since the Su-sit’Aatk ceremonies, we have continued making advancements, rekindling our house groups (waap) traditions of land stewardship, harvesting and economic rights fully in the Tsimshian way of life.

We welcome partnerships for economic development opportunities that meet the goals for a sustainable future, as we will continue to be caretakers of the land.

Our connections to the coast are embedded in our stories since time immemorial.

People of the Riffles

The third town site for Kitsumkalum is the one from which the people take their name. This is the town situated at the mouth of the Kalum River, just west of the City of Terrace. When you drive over the highway bridge, you can look up the Kalum River and watch the water rush over the gravel bars in riffles. Many people say the Kitsumkalum name refers to these riffles.

Elder Winnie Wesley explained the name as follows:

“Kitsumkalum they call it. Kitsumkalum. You know where that river [runs? We] call them Kalum. There’s a bunch of rocks there and [the] rocks… That’s what we call Kaala. That’s why they call this place Kitsumkalum.”

Vera Henry put it this way:

“You know when the [Kitsumkalum] River goes down, you know [when] you could see the sandbar? [The rocks] move if you really watch them. They go like that- move- the water underneath it, bubbling, makes them move. Kaala they call this… You see where it is by the bridge? You could see it really easy. That’s the [settler’s who] call it Kitsumkalum…. I always call it Kaala.”

As a Tsimshian galts’ap, Kitsumkalum shares an interest in the common heritage and territory of this nation. Kitsumkalum will continue to practice our inherent rights to be caretakers of our sacred and important site surrounding coastal and inland areas.

Dałk Gyila Kyoo

Robin Town

Traditionally, the main town was Dałk Gyilakyaw, which usually translated as Robin Town. Gyilakyaw means robin and the word Dałk describes a type of house built by important Sm’gyigyet (chiefs). Robin Town is sometimes called the old capital of Kitsumkalum because all the families eventually came to live there. The central importance of this town to the history of the Kitsumkalum people, resulted in their nickname “the People of the Robin,” a name they frequently use today.

Robin Town was situated at the Canyon of the Kalum River. The site has not been occupied since the 1930s but the area is protected as Kitsumkalum Indian Reserve 3, which is called Dał-ga-kila-quoeux. (Dał-ga-kila-quoeux is an old way people spelled Dałk Gyilakyaw.)

Robin Town has been described as large.
Henry Pierce said:

“The formation of the rocks of Kit-sum-kalum Canyon, lay in tiers, and tradition says that the first village discovered there was built right on the topmost tier. Robin Town became a large village of three rows, and a great many people were in that village, who shouted when the geese were flying over the village. When they shouted, the geese would fall down to the ground and die.”

In 1918, the Tlingit anthropologist, Louis Shotridge, was told the following, by a Kitsumkalum leader, probably Sam Kennedy:

“In the course of time, when other parties from upper Skeena River came down to join the community, the place gradually grew to a very large town. It was divided into different sections, each section being a singe row of houses arranged on level ledges staged down the embarkment and occupied by different phreatric divisions. The town grew so large that on some occasions a visitor from one section to another disappeared.”

A town of this size must have been a busy place with many houses, many of which would have been beautifully decorated. Waaps Nisgankwadzeks (an important family) has a house in Robin Town with a huge carving of a shark at the top of the house. The figure ran the full length of the house. The figure ran the full length of the building, with the head protruding over the rear. The carving represented a family crest of dzepk called K’aat (dogfish).

The main residential area for Robin Town was the west bank of the canyon, but the other side ws easily accessible and was also used. A log bridge lay across the canyon, probably constructed like other Tsimshian suspension bridges. Sam Kennedy said a crest pole owned by Waaps Lagaax, and called K’a’adum Bilhaa or can of abalone, stood across from Robin Town.

(James Andrew McDonald, People of the Robin. Terrace: National Library of Canada Cataloguing in Publication, 2003.)

Gitondakł

People of the Tie/Binding

Another important town recorded in the narratives is Gitondakł, a site located between the Canyon and Kitsumkalum Lake. Gitondakł was the town shared by the Lagibuu and Ganhada people. Chief Charles Nelson (Sm’oogyet Xpilaxha) said that when his ancestors moved from Kitsumkalum Lake “they came down the river about four miles to where it was shallow. Here they constructed salmon traps, and settled in a new village, calling it the village of Gitondakł, People-of-the-tie or binding.” They made this their home, but a natural event made it impossible for them to stay.

One summer, according to the oral histories, the people of Gitondakł found the fish were not coming. Xpilaxha was concerned and sent some of his men down river to discover the reason. They returned with the news that a rockslide had blocked the river and was preventing the salmon from coming up. This created a serious problem for the people who depended on the salmon runs for their food. After some discussion, the decision was made to leave Gitondakł and move down to join Robin Town where they were made welcome by Nisgeel.

“They came down the river about four miles to where it was shallow. Here they constructed salmon traps, and settled in a new village, calling it the village of Gitondakł, People-of-the-tie or binding.” – Charles Nelson

(James Andrew McDonald, People of the Robin. Terrace: National Library of Canada Cataloguing in Publication, 2003.)